Lamentations
by biomechanical
Summary: Rose buys a puzzle box from a galactic market and inadvertently summons the Cenobites. What must be sacrificed to save both her and the Doctor from an eternity of torture and pain? Doctor and Rose whump. No slash.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Since this is a Hellraiser crossover, you can expect some torture all around. The Cenobites have to have their fun after all. The story is planned for 4 chapters, I hope you enjoy it!**

**I do not own Doctor Who or Hellraiser.**

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Rose Tyler carefully moved through the crowded street bazaar. She tried not to bump into any of the wide variety of aliens that filled the streets, but that proved to be quite the impossible task. So she resorted to apologizing with a sweet smile anytime she did. She was starting to get tired, she'd been on her feet for hours, but she was having such a wonderful time seeing all the fantastic wares and foods, that the state of her feet didn't really bother her that much.

She stopped and stood on her toes in an attempt to see over the crowd. With a sigh of frustration, she gave up. Where was he? Rose wondered. She regretted leaving the Doctor behind at a stand that sold some kind of stone he really, really, _really_ wanted. He did tell her to go on ahead, so she did just that and one interesting trinket after another caught her eye until she lost him in the busy street.

At least Rose knew where the TARDIS was, so she wasn't actually lost and that thought was the only thing that kept her from feeling too much panic. While this was supposed to be a holiday trip, danger did follow on the Doctor's coat tails no matter where he went and no matter how much he tried to deny it. She'd already traveled with the Time Lord long enough to know not let her guard down. Eventually she gave up trying to find the Doctor and instead focused on finding her way back to the TARDIS. The Doctor would show up there eventually, no question about that.

Rose wasn't in a hurry, but she didn't stop at any more stands. She just worked her way down the street, weaving around stands and avoiding the people riding those odd hover rods that she likened to broom sticks. Could that be where the image of witches flying on brooms came from, she mused. After a few blocks, Rose spied an empty table in front of a café and took a seat just to get off her feet a moment. She glanced around her and a little shop next door caught her eye.

Curiosity convinced her to go to the store window and have a peek inside. The odd items on display reminded Rose of the sort of things one would find at an antique store on Earth, only these were definitely alien things. She shrugged her shoulder and went inside the store. When the door opened, it brushed across a tiny bell that chimed a pleasant alert. She smiled at the sound. It was so Earth-like.

These were definitely antiques. While Rose doesn't have experience traveling the universe like the Doctor, she noticed the layer of dust on many of the strange objects and the musty smell as a big clue. She meandered down the single isle, careful not to kick or trip over some larger objects on the floor shoved close to the base of the shelving.

A couple items on the shelf peeked her curiosity and she gently picked them up to examine them a moment before setting them back down. One device in particular caught her eye; it looked like the sonic screwdriver, only not as nearly as complicated. With a smile, she decided to buy the item for the Doctor. He would probably get a kick out of it.

The little shop wasn't very large as it took her about twenty paces to reach a polished wood counter built between the side walls. Only a couple feet in the center of the large counter was visible as the rest of it was buried under stacks of boxes and books. Rose wondered how the shopkeeper got around the counter to get to the front of the store, and then reasoned that he must use one of those phase shifting device thingy's she'd seen another alien in the bazaar use.

She approached the cleared spot of the counter and tried to see if she could see anyone in the back. "Hello?" Rose called out. Then her eyes fell on a gold cube etched with intricate black lined patterns and she couldn't look away.

From somewhere in the back room, Rose heard shuffling of feet and fortunately she recovered from the sight of the beautiful cube to see a humanoid alien approach the counter. He was maybe an inch taller then she and he had two vertical forehead ridges, each above his eyes that ran to the back of his head. His long white hair sprouted from between the pair of ridges and right behind his pointed ears. The pair of crimson red eyes that gazed back at Rose stood out prominently against the alien's light gray skin.

"Hello," he said in a creaky, elderly voice. "May I help you?"

Rose nodded and pointed at the gold cube. "What is that?" she asked and bit her lower lip in surprise of how desperate her voice sounded.

The shopkeeper's eyes followed Rose's pointing finger and his face lit up pleasantly. He turned toward the gold cube and lifted it off its glass pedestal with only his index finger and thumb as if it were the most delicate thing. He sat it down on the counter in front of Rose and smiled when he saw she couldn't take her eyes off it. He knew that she was not going to leave the store without that cube. "This, my dear," he waved his hand over it dramatically, "is a Lament Configuration. Ever hear of it?"

She shook her head and the fascination doubled in her eyes. Sitting the antique sonic screwdriver down, she picked up the gold box and slowly turned it in her hand.

"Well, it's a puzzle, you see," he said. Rose didn't notice the hint of malice in his voice. "And it's said to bring you the greatest pleasure you could ever know if you solve it."

Rose was impressed, even though she did have a feeling the shopkeeper was being overly dramatic to make a sale, but still she was genuinely intrigued. "That sounds very interesting, but it looks like it's already solved." She studied the patterns on the box.

"Alas, it is not solved." He gave his head a little shake and slightly pouted his lips.

"How do you know?" she asked quickly. "Do you have instructions or something?"

"Yes." The alien brightened up. "As a matter of fact I do. Let me show you." He bent over and rummaged around behind the counter a moment. "Ah ha! Here it is." He smiled and unrolled a worn sheet of parchment showing several different diagrams of the cube, or according the images, box.

Rose looked between the paper and the box. "Oh yes. Look," she whispered, "the patterns are different. Hm. How much do you want for it?"

The shopkeeper's smile widened. "100 credits and I'll even include the diagram. And the vintage sonic screwdriver as well?"

Rose nodded and beamed happily as she dug a cred-stick out of her pocket and handed it to the shopkeeper. "That'll be one hundred and twenty-six creds." He processed the transaction and returned her the cred-stick, then pulled out wrapping paper and a small paper sack. "Oh you don't have to wrap them," Roses said abruptly, interrupting him.

"As you wish." He smirked and again Rose missed the menacing look in his eye.

Rose folded and stuffed the illustrated paper and sonic into a jacket pocket and gingerly picked up the gold cube. "Thank you, Mister…" She paused and held out her hand.

"Shloke," he said and shook her hand. "Mr. Shloke's Shop of Past Universes."

"I'm Rose Tyler. Have a good day, Mister Shloke." Rose turned and nearly skipped out of the store.

"Have a good day too, Miss Tyler." He purred after her with a wicked grin.

Once outside back on the street, Rose quickly got her bearings and continued toward the TARDIS. It was taking a bit longer then she hoped to reach the time ship, and she felt a certain anticipation of getting to her room so she can work on the puzzle.

Finally, she spied the familiar blue box parked just inside an alley behind a fruit stand. Before she entered the ally, she glanced around for the Doctor, and didn't see him. With a shrug, she made sure no one was really watching her and discreetly entered the TARDIS.

"Doctor?" She called out once she closed the door behind her. No answer. She listened a moment and heard only the soft hum of the ancient time machine at rest. Without wasting any more time, Rose walked through the console room and down the hall to her room, the gift for the Doctor forgotten.

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The TARDIS door flew open and in rushed a very excited Time Lord. "Rose! Look what I bought!" The Doctor shouted as he closed the door and dashed to the console. "It's a galaxy stone and you _have_ see it! Rose?" He paused and listened a moment, then frowned wondering where she could be when he heard nothing from his companion. He took a couple of steps toward the back of the room. "Rose?" He called out again.

He looked at his watch. There were still a couple of hours till sunset and they agreed to meet here at sunset. She must still be out shopping, he supposed, and it was entirely possible since the bazaar is so huge, it would take a week to see it all. He thought about calling her cell phone, but thought better of it. She would call him if she needed help…unless she couldn't. In an instant his phone was in his hand about to dial her number, but he stopped himself again. They agreed to meet here at sunset and it wasn't time yet. He didn't want to come across as, well…weird.

So, he dropped the phone back in a pocket and plopped on the bench next to the console. He rested his feet up on a section free of buttons, and pulled a thick book from a paper sack. With a satisfied smile, he slid on his glasses, opened the book across his lap and settled into a story about space travelers, quirky aliens and towels.

He was three chapters in when he heard the blood curdling scream.

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To be continued.


	2. Chapter 2

Screams in general are unexpected, but this scream that echoed through the TARDIS startled even the Doctor. He kicked up his legs and sent the book crashing to the floor. He tore his spectacles off his face and jumped to his feet. His hearts pounded and his mind raced, but he still nearly instantly deduced the scream came from the direction of Rose's room.

The Doctor ran at full speed down the hall and skidded to a halt in front of Rose's door. He almost barged in, but he held himself back to pounding on the door instead. "Rose?" He shouted with panic in his voice. When there was no answer, he stood back in the hall and shouted her name again. No answer.

Alright, the Doctor decided. He pushed a button on the wall and the door obediently slid open. He stood in the doorway and looked into a dark room. "Rose?" he asked. He reached around and tapped a pad on the wall, the lights came on. He looked over the room and noted that it was same messy as the last time he'd seen it, which was once shortly after she moved in. He gasped. There on the floor next to the bed, was a puddle of blood.

In a flash, the Doctor was on his knees next to the blood. He put his glasses on and leaned over the blood for a much closer look and smell. Next, he dabbed the tip of a finger in the blood and raised it to his lips. He was nervous over what he was about to taste, but he licked his finger anyway. As he feared, the blood tasted like human female A positive roughly 20 years old. He closed his eyes and fought the emotions that welled up inside him. Being emotional was not going to help him find Rose.

Investigation mode, he told himself, stick to investigation mode. He dug out the sonic and waved its blue light over the blood. When that yielded no new information, he waved the sonic around the room and paused when the sonic picked up on something underneath the bed. He shuffled on his knees closer to the bed and lowered his head to the floor.

His eyebrows crunched together when he saw the golden box. "What have we here?" The Doctor said aloud and didn't contain his curiosity as he picked up the box. He sat up and turned the box over in his hand. He'd never seen anything like it and was completely perplexed. The little box was certainly a new addition to the room, and it was a strange addition indeed. The markings its sides were as close to Gallifreyan as the Doctor had ever seen, close, but not quite. Because of the similarities, he thought he could discern the word 'dimension', but he had to admit, it was only a guess.

He scanned the box with the sonic and learned that it contained some sort of energy, but the sonic couldn't pinpoint it. The Doctor wore his deep thought expression and let his eyes wander over the room. That was when he saw the parchment rolled up on top of the bed. As quick as a snake strike, the Doctor snatched up the paper, failing to notice the old sonic underneath it. He unrolled the paper and studied the black inked diagrams intently. "Lament Configuration," he whispered with fascination.

This was something new and it peeked his curiosity no doubt about it, but Rose is in trouble, so he hunkered down and committed the diagram to memory. According to the diagram, the box contained energy, but what kind it didn't say. The diagram wasn't really helpful in determining what the box was for, only that there were different configurations the box could have that served different purposes, and those purposes weren't spelled out clearly either. Instead, the Doctor made educated guesses on each of the configurations.

"Rose. What happened?" The Doctor sighed and glanced over at the blood. She must have been trying to solve the puzzle, he reasoned, and maybe this really does open a door to another dimension. But why the blood? Only one way to find out. With the Gallifreyan word for dimension dancing around in the back of his mind, he tucked the sonic in his jacket and pressed his fingers into the side of the puzzle box to make the first move.

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"Such sweet innocence," said the man, if that's what he is, standing in front of her. Through tear-filled eyes, Rose stared him in terror and mentally tried to comprehend the reason behind the deep cuts in a grid pattern and the nails imbedded at each cut cross point on the man's otherwise bald head. She dared lower her eyes to his leather clad chest that split down the middle revealing skin flayed apart held open with metal rings embedded in the flesh. Rose felt her stomach churn at the sight of the exposed muscle and oozing crimson blood, but there was nothing left to expel.

The horrible man, Pinhead, reached out his hand and gently caressed her cheek. Rose decided to call him Pinhead since he never offered her his name other than that of his species, Cenobite.

Rose shrank back and struggled against the chains wrapped snugly around her chest and neck. Her arms, also wrapped in chains, were suspended out on either side of her. She was slightly suspended off the smooth floor of the dark room so when she kicked her legs, her toes barely brushed the surface. There was no escape. She had no choice but to cringe under Pinhead's touch.

"W-why did you bring m-me here?" Rose asked and wished she didn't sound as scared as she was. The clanking of the chains that suspended her echoed like eerie chimes.

"You opened the Lament Configuration," he answered casually. "You summoned us."

"But I didn't know what it was!" She exclaimed desperately.

"You solved the puzzle with the desire for the greatest pleasure in your heart," he said with a dark smile and cupped her cheek in the palm of his hand. "And we don't like to disappoint."

Tears streamed down Rose's cheeks as she whimpered and hoped beyond hope the Doctor would come to her rescue. She whipped her head around toward a rustling sound beside her and looked into the dark eyes of a pale faced woman. The woman had the look that she might have been beautiful once, but countless tiny scars pocked her skin. She too was clad of black leather that fit tight over her voluptuous frame and creaked with her movements. The woman's feature that disturbed Rose most of all was her throat. It was flayed wide open exposing muscle and blood, the skin pinned back with rusted metal rings pierced through the neck.

The woman smiled warmly, but it belied the wicked malice that glimmered in her eyes as she gently caressed a large fish hook down the exposed skin on Rose's arm. Rose flinched under the feel of the cold metal and watched with terror stricken eyes. "Doesn't that feel wonderful?" The woman cooed in a raspy voice. Rose wondered how she was able to talk at all.

"No! No, it doesn't!" Rose squealed. "Please don't hurt me anymore."

"Pain is the greatest pleasure of them all." The woman's voice rasped and she stopped the hook at Rose's elbow, gently pressing the point into the skin, but not drawing blood…yet.

Pinhead stepped back with a wicked laugh as Rose struggled helplessly in the chains making them rattle like music in his ears. When the hook slid into Rose's flesh and her blood began to flow, he let her screams wash over him, the climax of a twisted symphony.

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The Doctor sat cross legged on the floor at the foot of Rose's bed inadvertently facing the puddle of blood. The parchment with the diagram draped across his lap and he held the puzzle box in one hand as he traced the over a paragraph on the parchment with a finger of the other hand.

His spectacles threatened to slide down his nose again as he read the words, so he pushed them back up into place. The parchment was practically useless in the actual solving of the puzzle, and he finally decided to toss it aside and focus solely on the box.

The Time Lord pulled on the piece that he discovered was a moving part and slide the piece up, gave it a twist and pushed it back down. The result was quite in interesting geometric shape that he couldn't help but admire.

He was curious how the box was producing that odd music that signaled to him he was getting somewhere. He manipulated another part of the box and the music grew louder. Another move and he was surprised by what at first he thought was the Cloister Bell, but this bell gonged out a solemn, ominous song.

Suddenly, the Doctor became aware of a portal on the bedroom wall. It was a tiny swirling mass of darkness at first, but it steadily grew larger until it was large enough to walk through. The other side was nothing but darkness. The Doctor jumped to his feet with the sonic in one hand and the puzzle box in the other. He waved the sonic at the portal and the fact that it was indeed a door to another dimension astounded him.

He took a step closer and peered into the darkness, when a pale face, decorated with nails imbedded in flesh, materialized in the blackness. The Doctor took a reflexive step back. "Hello." He regarded the being with cautious curiosity. "I'm the Doctor."

The face smirked as he stepped out of the portal. To the Doctor, it seemed like the floating head suddenly attached itself to the blackness and made a solid body out of it. The leather coat, wrapped snug around the creature's torso and flowed out from the waist like a membrane, creaked as the creature moved a couple of steps out of the portal. Much to the Doctor's dismay in himself at meeting a new being, the nail-headed creature utterly repulsed him.

"The Doctor," the man said calmly. "She screams your name."

Anger and shock hit the Doctor at the same time. "What did you say?" he asked in a dangerous tone.

The nail-headed man smiled wickedly, took a step to the side and made a sweeping motion with his arm toward the portal. Rose appeared in the darkness. Her arms were suspended now by metal hooks piercing through the flesh at the wrists and elbows. Two larger hooks protruded through her blue t-shirt at the shoulder and the dark patches around the hooks made it clear they went right through her. All the hooks were attached to chains that suspended her in the air. Her head was held up by hooks in her cheeks and chains that ran toward her back. Her eyes were closed and her body hung limp.

The Doctor couldn't think of anything he'd encountered that matched the level of atrocity he saw before him. And it was Rose. His Rose, sweet and wonderful. She, of all people, did not deserve this, and now she looked like she was dead. "Rose!" He cried and his vision turned red in rage. He flew forward fully intending on beating this creature to a bloody pulp with his bare hands.

A chain shot out of the portal and punched the Doctor in the right shoulder with such a force; it lifted him off his feet and slammed him into the wall behind. He yelled in surprise and pain at the sudden, unexpected attack and struggled to get free. But his feet weren't even touching the floor and the spike at the end of the stiffened chain had him impaled nicely.

The nail-headed man laughed a laugh the Doctor instantly hated, it was cruel and victorious. The creature slowly stepped over to the Time Lord and looked him over with dark eyes as if he was selecting a side of meat.

"Let Rose go!" the Doctor spat in fury. After he slipped the sonic and puzzle box back into a pocket, he wrapped his hands around the stiffened chain to hold himself up and ease the pain, but his fingers slipped on his own blood.

The wicked man nodded once in agreement of a sinister internal decision. "You are more deserving of our attention than sweet, little Rose." He stared straight into the Doctor's eyes with his own black gaze and grinned when he saw that look of understanding. "Come with us and she can go free." The words had to be said for the deal to be made.

The Doctor didn't take any time thinking about a decision, he made it before it was even spoken. He nodded his head desperately. "Yes, yes, take me," he said. "You can have me. Let Rose go now!"

"No, Doctor!" Rose yelled and jerked in the chains, but instantly cringed and yelped in pain of the hooks embedded in her flesh.

"Of course, Doctor," the evil creature said with a menacing smile. Materializing out of the darkness came two other creatures even more hideous then the nail headed one, a pale woman and a humanoid thing with a mouth for a face. The pair strode out of the portal up to the Doctor and grabbed his arms as he fell when the chain holding him retracted back whence it came.

The creatures dragged the Doctor into the portal and all the while, he kept his eyes on Rose. Tears streamed down his cheeks at the sight of her covered in her own blood, at the pain she endured, and the love in her eyes as she looked back at him. Whatever these creatures were, he made a promise that he never thought he would make, he promised to kill them.

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To be continued.


	3. Chapter 3

Rose felt an unseen force push her from behind and out of the portal as the Cenobites dragged the Doctor past her. Through her teary eyes, she noticed he mouthed a word, Elysium. She didn't understand what that meant and she couldn't move as the invisible force held her tight. She could only plead through her convulsive sobs to let the Doctor go, but her pleas went unanswered.

Once outside the portal, the hooks slid out of her flesh and the chains dragged them back into the darkness. The weakness in her knees prevented her from standing on her own and she fell forward onto her stomach.

She whipped her head around in time to see the portal shrink and Rose knew the sound she heard as it faded away was the Doctor's screams. When the swirling darkness vanished completely, the gold puzzle box appeared out of thin air. It landed on the floor with a muted clang and bounced a couple of times before coming to rest at Rose's heel.

Lying on the floor, she allowed herself to cry, no sob, at the loss of the Doctor. She felt utterly hopeless and couldn't help but think of what horrible things those monsters were doing to him. The more she thought about the Cenobites and their terrible activities, the angrier she became. She couldn't give up, she had to do something to save him. Fueled by determination, she pushed herself up, struggling with weakened muscles, until she sat with her legs stretched out.

The first thing she noticed was the puzzle box at her foot. She shrieked at the sight of the thing and kicked it away from her. The box skidded across the floor and rolled to a stop in the puddle of her blood. Rose didn't care. She didn't want to ever touch that thing again, though she knew she was going to have to if she expected to save the Doctor.

She felt her strength returning and she climbed to her feet. Rushing over to the mirror above the dresser, she was startled to find that while she was covered in blood, she had no wounds. She felt the throbbing ache of the pain, but was otherwise completely healed.

Did that mean none of what happened was real? No, it had to be. If that were true, then it meant that the Doctor trading places with her forfeited the injuries the Cenobites inflicted on her. The Doctor's sacrifice was what saved her. Rose felt the urge to cry all over again and she covered her face with her hands as the tears streamed down her cheeks.

After the sobbing passed, she gathered her thoughts and forced her mind to think of how to get the Doctor out of that hell. What did she know? She knew that the box opened the portal and summoned the Cenobites, but she didn't what the Cenobites were or what could stop them.

Normally, Rose would turn to the Doctor, he would know or know how to find out, but he wasn't there and she couldn't allow her thoughts wander to him being tortured. She choked the thoughts back and made the decision to find someone to help her. She could think of only one person.

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"This will be a beautiful gift for your daughter," Mr. Shloke said with a fake pleasantness to a woman in a ruffled brown dress and a pair of wispy antenna sprouting from her forehead.

"Thank you, Mr. Shloke," the woman said with a pleased smile. She grabbed the bag and turned down the aisle for the door, when the door flew open and in stormed a blonde girl with…was that dried blood? The woman gasped as the girl brushed past her, nearly knocking her into the shelf. Seeing the look on the girls face, the woman decided it best she left and quickly scurried out of the shop.

Rose marched angrily up to the counter and didn't miss Mr. Shloke's eyes growing steadily larger as she approached. His expression was surprise and fear.

"G-good afternoon. Miss Tyler, was it?" The shopkeeper stammered with a crooked smile trying to be friendly.

Rose lifted her hand, Mr. Shloke gulped at the sight of the gold box, and slammed it down on the counter with a loud thud. The shopkeeper cringed at the blood that splattered out from underneath it. "You will tell me everything," Rose said with growling words.

"About what?" Mr. Shloke raised his eyebrows to look innocent, but Rose grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close. "The Doctor, my friend, is trapped in that place," she hissed, "and you will tell me how to get him out."

Mr. Shloke grabbed her wrist and with a strength that surprised Rose, he pulled her hand away and shoved her back. "I don't have to tell you anything," he said in an even tone and he narrowed his eyes. He gave her a dismissal wave and started to turn away to show her she was insignificant to him. Rose's rage boiled over. She lashed out, grabbed the alien's hand, slammed it on the counter, grabbed a nearby dagger and brought it down, all in one quick movement.

The shopkeeper's shocked face twisted into pain and he screamed out as black blood flowed from his hand. Rose was also shocked by what she'd just done and she to stop to realize that yes, she really did just pin a man's hand to a counter with a dagger. What was happening to her? She didn't feel like herself. She felt like someone else was driving, controlling her actions. Was it the torture? No. It was the look on the Doctor's face as he was dragged away by those things. He sacrificed himself without hesitation, for her. His tormented face will be forever burned in her mind. Her lower lip quivered and she felt like shrinking back and running away, but she knew that Shloke was afraid of her now and she had to act on it.

Rose held the Lament Configuration in front of Shloke's face. "Tell me what you know!" She shouted and internally cringed at the sight of the man flinched from her.

"It opens a gateway to the realm of the Cenobites." He blurted out as he eyed the box with aversion.

"What are the Cenobites?" she asked. "How can I stop them?"

"I-I don't know what they are," he stammered, "but you can't stop them."

"How can I get the Doctor out?" Rose's voice rose in agitation, which made Shloke more nervous.

"Sacrifice," he said. "They will trade one life for another. Maybe they'll bargain for something else, but I don't know."

Rose dropped her gaze and her reddened eyes softened, threatening to shed more tears as she tried to think of what to do next. "You've summoned them before, haven't you?" she asked. The shopkeeper squirmed at the question, but nodded.

"How did you escape?"

"I made them a deal," he said with a hint of pride in his voice. "They let me out in exchange for my sending new victims their way."

"You knew?" She screamed. The horror and the anger of it all washed over her, and she looked at the shopkeeper with the strongest desire to inflict pain that she'd ever felt. She turned and shoved over a stack of boxes sending the contents scattering across the floor in a cacophony of noise.

Rose crunched her eyes closed, feeling the tears pooled in her eyes stream down her face, and she thought of the Doctor. She was no closer to finding out how to save him then when she started, but the desperation had already set in. She had only one move left. She held up the Lament Configuration and stared at it in silence. Then slowly, she began solving the puzzle.

"W-what are you doing?" Shloke asked in a shaky whisper. "Stop that!" He yelled when she didn't answer. He frantically tried to pull the dagger that held his hand to the counter loose, but its sharp blade was embedded deep into the wood.

The shopkeeper drew in quick breaths at the sound of the chiming music as Rose worked the puzzle. At the sound of the solemn bell echoing in the small shop, his eyes widened in horror. "No!" He shrieked and almost tore his hand free, but couldn't bear the pain.

The portal opened in the middle of the aisle and the room grew dark, almost as if the evil that lurked within willed it to be so. The shopkeeper stood frozen in fear and Rose swallowed a nerve-wracked gulp as she stared into the blackness waiting.

Finally, Pinhead materialized in the blackness wearing a smug smile as he casually strode out of the portal. Rose stood her ground with determination. Even though she was absolutely terrified of the monster, she needed to be strong for the Doctor.

Pinhead walked up to Rose and stopped an inch away. He looked down into her reddened eyes and slipped his arm around the small of her back, pulling her to him. "Why Rose," he said in a pleasant tone, "I didn't expect to see you so soon."

Rose flinched at his touch. "I just want the Doctor," she said as steadily as she could.

Pinhead smiled wide and laughed mockingly at her. He stepped past her allowing his arm to slip from her waist like a slithering snake. "Alister Shloke," he said as he approached the shopkeeper still trapped at the counter.

Rose let out a breath and she gazed into the portal. Off in the distance, she thought she could see the Doctor with his arms held above him and his head hanging low. She glanced back at Pinhead who was in the process of slowly sliding Shloke's impaled hand from the dagger between the fingers. The alien's mouth was open in a scream but no sound came out.

This was her chance. She turned and bolted into the portal.

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To be continued.


	4. Chapter 4

"Doctor!" Rose screamed as she ran though a forest of clanking chains that hung from the ceiling of the dark dimension. The image of the Doctor she chased steadily grew larger, which indicated she was getting closer. She was almost there when suddenly it disappeared.

Rose skidded to a halt and frantically looked around though she was blind in the pitch darkness. "Doctor?!" She cried out. She heard the sound of chattering teeth and whirled around to see nothing. From behind her was the sound of creaking leather. She turned and again saw nothing.

"Rose." She heard a raspy, sultry voice whisper. She turned again and froze in horror. There was the Doctor, shirtless, suspended by black hooks piercing through his shoulders and arms, blood streamed from the wounds. His head hung limp and sweat dripped from his soaked hair. His ankles were bound together by a single chain attached to the floor holding his body at an angle over a pit. The pit glowed with a vibrant orange light and reflected off the Doctor's sweat covered body giving him a fiery look. Rose realized he was slowly being burned.

"Doctor." She was barely able to whisper and somehow managed to stagger toward him a couple of steps.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" asked the rasping voice. Rose could see the female Cenobite standing just inside the shadows looking upon the Doctor's torment as one would enjoy a fine art.

The Doctor slowly raised his head and when his eyes fell on Rose, he closed his eyes and cried. His sobs were muffled for some reason and Rose ran up to the edge of the pit; its broiling fire reminded her of a sun.

She looked up at the Doctor and covered her mouth in horror when she saw that his mouth was sewn shut. "I'll get you out of here," she said in a voice that she'd wanted to sound confident, but her own terror was too strong. He moaned and violently shook his head while looking at her with pleading eyes.

Fighting back tears, she spied a set of pokers sticking out of the floor next to the pit and pulled one out. Brandishing the poker like a weapon, she marched up to the female Cenobite. "Let him go!" She demanded. The Cenobite merely smiled and stepped back, vanishing in the darkness.

"Why would I do that?" said a familiar voice. "He will make an excellent Cenobite."

Rose spun around, holding the poker in front of her, and faced Pinhead. He walked up to the light with a smile, smug and collected. He held the wrist of Mr. Shloke and by keeping his arm straight, he forced the alien to stagger over behind him. When Pinhead stopped, the shopkeeper crouched next to him like an obedient dog.

"What are you talking about?" Rose asked keeping the poker trained on the Cenobite leader.

"He is the destroyer of worlds and the killer of his own kind." Pinhead turned his black eyes onto the Doctor with pride. "And he knows all about torture. Don't you, Doctor?"

The Doctor glowered at the Cenobite. "Look at this masterpiece he devised for himself," Pinhead continued, sweeping his hand toward the Time Lord, "I can't wait to see what he thinks of for others."

"You're lying!" Rose yelled at the Cenobite. "You're doing this to him! Now let him go!"

"Oh, I'm not lying." Pinhead smiled. "Look."

Rose looked at the Doctor and her face slowly fell as she saw the truth in his eyes. "Why?" She whispered. He turned his head away from her in shame.

"He murdered all the Time Lords in existence," said Pinhead with admiration. "And then he burned his own planet. Beautiful."

Rose faltered as she felt her heart sink. Slowly, she lowered the poker until its tip rested on the floor. She looked down on the floor and didn't pay much attention as the female Cenobite dragged Mr. Shloke off into the darkness. Her head spun. She didn't know what to think and she didn't know what to do. Her eyes wandered aimlessly until she noticed the Doctor's jacket crumpled on the floor a couple feet away from Pinhead. She raised her gaze and focused on the leader of the Cenobites.

"The portal is still open and you are still free to leave," he said and motioned toward the swirling hole that leads back to the shop. "The Doctor's sacrifice and transformation guarantees your safe passage."

Rose felt a hate grow in her chest that she never felt for anything or anyone. In a heartbeat, she made a decision. She screamed and charged at Pinhead, who raised a curious eyebrow at her sudden action. Behind her, she could hear a muffled scream from the Doctor and the rattle of the chains that held him.

The Cenobite stood his ground as Rose raised the poker and drove it through his heart. He staggered back, clutching the poker in surprise, his mouth gaped open. Rose quickly snatched up the jacket and shoved her hand into the inside pocket, pulling out the sonic.

Thankfully, the Doctor had shown her the code to open clamps and locks, and she dashed to the chains at the Doctor's ankles tossing the jacket aside. The sonic bleeped and the fastener that connected the chain to a metal ring on the floor snapped open.

The Doctor's body swung forward over the pit, but Rose realized too late that his legs wouldn't clear the edge. She closed her eyes and winced as his shins struck the sharp edge. His muffled yelp and following screams snapped her into action. His feet were inside the pit close to the intense fire and heat. Rose scrambled around the pit and wrapped her arm around his legs, pulling them forward and out.

Through her tears that welled up from the additional pain she caused the Doctor, Rose glanced toward where Pinhead should have been. His absence terrified her and she hurriedly waved the sonic over the clamps on the hooks in the Doctor's shoulders and arms. She did his arms first, each falling limp to his side. Without thinking it through, she released a shoulder chain that made his body fall lopsided with all his weight now on one hook. The Doctor moaned loudly and closed his eyes in pain. Rose started sobbing but managed to release the other shoulder hook.

The Doctor's knees were inches above the hard floor, so when his body fell, it thankfully didn't have far to go. Rose caught him under the arms and struggled to get him to his feet. He whimpered and slouched, he was almost a dead weight, but she renewed her determination and dragged him as far as she could.

Catching her breath, Rose shoved the sonic in her back pants pocket and got a better hold of the Doctor. She looked around for the Cenobites, but could see nothing in the pitch darkness. Still, she knew they were lurking out there somewhere.

Rose dragged the Doctor again until she had to stop to renew her grip that slipped on his sweat and blood covered arms. Just a little bit farther, she thought as she saw how close she was to the portal. With a heave, she continued to pull the barely conscious Doctor across the smooth, cold floor.

When she reached the light that spilled in from the outside, Rose shed tears of joy. Then the dark figure of Pinhead stepped between her and the portal. His silhouetted form threatened to swallow her hope as she shrank back from the Cenobite and attempted to cover the Doctor protectively.

"I accept your trade," Pinhead said with the sound of victory in his voice.

Rose frowned not understanding what the monster was referring to, but at that moment it didn't matter because Pinhead stepped to the side of the portal. The hair on the back of her neck rose as she watched him fade into the darkness and his maniacal laughter sent shivers down her spine. Not wanting to test fate, Rose quickly grabbed the Doctor and pulled him through the portal.

Rose sat on the wooden, dusty floor of the antique store next to the limp form of the Doctor pondering Pinhead's words. But the portal wasn't closing like it did last time. She spied the puzzle box on the floor, not remembering when she dropped it, and picked it up.

Staring at it, Rose suddenly recalled the word that the Doctor mouthed to her, Elysium. The image on the parchment flashed into her mind and she quickly turned the pieces of the puzzle box until it matched what she remembered on the paper. She breathed a sigh of relief as the portal quickly shrank in size and vanished.

It was over.

Rose looked down at the Doctor, still unmoving and covered in his orange-red blood from the wounds of the hooks. She felt weak and collapsed over his body into a fit of hard sobs. After a few minutes, she felt the Doctor move underneath her and she sat up wiping tears from her eyes.

"Rose?" he asked in a soft voice as he turned over and looked up at her.

"Doctor." She managed to say through a quivering lip.

He climbed up to his knees, and rested the palm of his hand on her cheek. His expression was grim and thankful, sad and proud all at the same time. Tears streamed down his cheeks, but he offered Rose a small smile. "Come here," he said.

She rose to her knees and fell into his arms, wrapping her own around him so tight, she never wanted to let go. She pressed her head against his chest, ignoring the drying blood, and fell into another fit of sobs. The Doctor gently ran his fingers through her hair. "Shhh, it's ok now, Rose." He comforted her.

Finally, her sobs ceased, though tears still streamed down her cheeks, and he rested his hands on her shoulders as he leaned back and looked into her eyes with a soft smile. "Your wounds." She looked him over with a smile realizing the stitches that closed his mouth were gone. "You're healed. They must have healed you. But what did that Cenobite mean? What did I trade?"

The Doctor's eyes filled with sadness and his face was grim. Killing the Cenobites was another promise he wouldn't keep. There was no killing those creatures of torment, not when Rose paid such a high price.

Without answering, he climbed to his feet and helped Rose to hers. He picked up the Lament Configuration and looked at it with a deep sigh. He was going to have to make sure that when he locked it away in the TARDIS, it would never find its way out.

"Doctor?" she asked and worried why he wouldn't answer her like he'd always done before.

He cupped her cheek in his hand and his sadness thickened. "Oh Rose, you ran a poker through that creature's heart. You showed him you were willing to kill for me. You traded your innocence," he said grimly. Without another word, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to his side, and the pair headed back to the TARDIS in silence.

.

.

End.


End file.
